Creation of the first homeless service point at metro Place-des-Arts

MONTREAL, Dec. 17, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Société de développement
social de Ville-Marie (SDSVM), first social broker in North America, is
proud to announce the creation of the first service point for the
homeless in downtown Montreal, located at the Place-des-Arts metro
station, in collaboration with St. Michael's Mission day center and the
Société de transport de Montréal (STM).

To meet the growing needs of the homeless taking refuge in the subway,
the SDSVM has set up, with the help of their social partners (CLSC,
CSSS, McGill faculty of medecine, Chez Doris, the CHUM and its mobile
psychiatric clinic, PAQ….), a service point at the day center that will
provide:

Continuous opening hours at the day center, from 8h to 13h;

Opening a consultation room at St. Michael's Mission to receive health
care specialists;

A social worker will work directly in the field with the homeless to
help them and refer them to services, and, in collaboration with the
security services, staff and other actors working 6+9/t the subway
station;

Medical, psychiatric and social consults on the spot;

Art Therapy Program; and

Implementation of research on socio-professional integration for the
homeless at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Laval University in
Quebec to better quantify and evaluate the results of our programs.

"The SDSVM, first social broker in North America, is proud to have
mobilized the business, academic, social, medical and cultural
community to help the homeless and to create the first Homeless Service
Point at the Place-des-Arts metro station. This is only the first step
before duplicating this project in other subway stations facing this
issue," said Mr. Damien Silès, Executive Director of the SDSVM.

"After 85 years of existence, St. Michael's Mission has repositioned
itself to become a one of a kind day center that will offer, thanks to
health care professionals, adequate services to meet the growing
medical needs of the homeless. Every day more than 200 people use our
services. We believe that this project will address the distress these
people face daily," indicated Mr. George Greene, member of the board of
directors of St. Michael's Mission.

"Better access for vulnerable people, often homeless, to complete care
that integrates mental health and substance abuse is important; with
strong partnerships between the first line, community agencies and
psychiatric hospitals, such as the CHUM association and Toit Rouge, is part of the solution. Token of success, these initiatives must be
supported in order to ensure sustainability," added Dr. Didier Jutras
Aswad, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry,
University of Montreal, CHUM.

"Homelessness is a complex issue and represents a significant challenge
for large cities. STM commends the work of the SDSVM which provides the
homeless with resources and specialized services in order to help them.
As a partner in this project, we hope that SDSVM will expand this
service in other metro stations and we want to assure them of our full
support," said Carl Desrosiers, CEO of STM.

"I would like to acknowledge and congratulate the SDVSM for the
initiative they took in putting into place the first service point for
the homeless in the downtown Montreal area. Since being elected, I
have witnessed many individuals and come to understand their harsh
reality. Our nation has to become more human in their approach to aid
the homeless, a phenomenon which is not exclusive to downtown Montreal,
as it is also an issue in other regions," stated Daniel Breton, Deputy
of Sainte Marie-Saint-Jacques.

"Thanks to the pooling of expertise and resources new and innovative
ideas can be born, ideas that are full of promise. Together, we will
set up the first downtown point of service for the homeless and relieve
the distress of men and women to whom we will offer a most valuable
asset: the hope of a better life. Montrealers have a sense of
responsibility as well as a desire to express their solidarity as
evidenced by the announcement that brings us here today," said the
mayor of Montreal, Mr. Michael Applebaum

About St. Michael's Mission
Indeed, the majority of homeless in this subway station use the services
of the St. Michael's Mission every day. Under the Toit Rouge (for its
red roof), this independent non-profit organization works with more
than 200 homeless people and people living in poverty in downtown
Montreal. Its mission is to meet their basic needs: food, hygiene,
clothing and in case of emergencies for various needs.

About the Société de développement social de Ville-Marie
The partners of the Société de Développement Social de Ville-Marie for
the curent project are: STM, Fondation Armand J. Bombardier, Makivik
Corporation, Arrondissement Ville-Marie, National, Eidos Montréal,
McKesson Canada and private donations. The SDSVM is financed by the
Ville-Marie borough.

SOURCE: Société de développement social de Ville-Marie

For further information:

Robert Beaudry Project manager, Société de développement social de Ville-Marie Cell. : 514-503-4073info@sdsvm.ca